Solid tyres

moonio
moonio Posts: 802
edited September 2008 in Commuting chat
has anyone used these solid tyres? They are puncture proof and dont need an inner tube.

www.greentyre.co.uk

are they any good?

Comments

  • Littigator
    Littigator Posts: 1,262
    Any chance one of the good folk at Bike Radar could road test them perhaps?

    Having had a quick look at their website though, I note their road tyre, the Sprint, weighs in at 365g which is a hell of a lot heavier than a normal road tyre and inner tube so I'm not sure how they make their weight claims.
    Roadie FCN: 3

    Fixed FCN: 6
  • downfader
    downfader Posts: 3,686
    Hmm but made of polyeurethaney stuff. Not sure of how well that will grip - it gets used on guitar bodies to give a nice smooth finish :?
  • always_tyred
    always_tyred Posts: 4,965
    It depends. My brother tried these a few years ago and I'm still happy to poke fun at him about them. If you have very strong wheels and a very strong bottom (or soft, preferably suspension seatposted, saddle) and you are not interested in any way with speed or grip, they might be for you.

    As I recall, it felt very much as though you were riding on thin pieces of plastic wrapped around bare rims. It was about 10 years ago, so things might have moved on and for all I know his bike always felt like that.

    However their website doesn't fill me with optomism that they are near the forefront of plastics extrusion technology. I mean, they still seem to think that other tyres are made from rubber (we all know that they use black chilli peppers these days).
  • boybiker
    boybiker Posts: 531
    their faq section is interesting http://www.greentyre.co.uk/faqs.html they seem to think that the tyres are the same weight as a 'Standard Pneumatic bike and wheelchair tyre' whatever they are :?
    The gear changing, helmet wearing fule.
    FCN :- -1
    Given up waiting for Fast as Fupp to start stalking me
  • _Brun_
    _Brun_ Posts: 1,740
    boybiker wrote:
    their faq section is interesting http://www.greentyre.co.uk/faqs.html they seem to think that the tyres are the same weight as a 'Standard Pneumatic bike and wheelchair tyre' whatever they are :?

    Only if you inflate them with very heavy air. My opinion is that if they were any good we'd all be using them, and since we're not, they're a pile of pants.
  • always_tyred
    always_tyred Posts: 4,965
    Why aren't they making them for cars and motorbikes then? Comparatively large market they are missing out on. Plus, those vehicles have suspension so that property of the tyre is a bit less important.

    I dunno - I could be wrong - but this seems like a nice idea but with about as many drawbacks as those bicycle saddles without a nose. http://www.spongywonder.com/
  • boybiker
    boybiker Posts: 531
    The bit where it says is it true that they roll off the rim? is a little disconcerting and almost suggests that they are fitted as tubular tyres.
    You really really don't want to have a tubular tyre roll off the rim.
    The gear changing, helmet wearing fule.
    FCN :- -1
    Given up waiting for Fast as Fupp to start stalking me
  • redvee
    redvee Posts: 11,922
    A friend of mine had them on his bike and he wore them out in about 6months road use and said they didn't feel good when riding on white lines etc. They were also a bugger to fit as there was no give in the tyre whatsoever, think we used numerous tie points and a bllody big lever to get the last bit onto the rim.
    I've added a signature to prove it is still possible.
  • saveswalking
    saveswalking Posts: 144
    As noted - if they were any good we would see alot more of them .... mind you my wheelbarrow has had a flat for the last 4 years .hmmmmm?

    sw
  • lost_in_thought
    lost_in_thought Posts: 10,563
    Those noseless seats are actually very good if you're riding in a skirt. Not that men probably do that too regularly...
    FCN 7/1
    Viner Maxima, Tifosi CK7, Giant Bowery, Old commuter.
  • always_tyred
    always_tyred Posts: 4,965
    boybiker wrote:
    The bit where it says is it true that they roll off the rim? is a little disconcerting and almost suggests that they are fitted as tubular tyres.
    You really really don't want to have a tubular tyre roll off the rim.

    I think it means that they used to have problems with them rolling off the rim.....
  • always_tyred
    always_tyred Posts: 4,965
    lost_in_thought wrote:
    Those noseless seats are actually very good if you're riding in a skirt. Not that men probably do that too regularly...

    What, you actually bought one? Or did your saddle fall apart and enable you to make the discovery?

    I'm sure they are of some utility for recreational cycling, in parks, or in the garden or something. They might go well on one of those bikes with automatic gears.
  • lost_in_thought
    lost_in_thought Posts: 10,563
    No, I borrowed a friend's bike when I was last in Amsterdam and it had one, I asked why and she said 'for riding in a skirt', so I tried it out! And very good it was too.
    FCN 7/1
    Viner Maxima, Tifosi CK7, Giant Bowery, Old commuter.
  • always_tyred
    always_tyred Posts: 4,965
    lost_in_thought wrote:
    No, I borrowed a friend's bike when I was last in Amsterdam and it had one, I asked why and she said 'for riding in a skirt', so I tried it out! And very good it was too.

    Given that its indicated as being for men, I may well live in the only part of the world for which there is actually a potential market.
  • downfader
    downfader Posts: 3,686
    saveswalking wrote:
    As noted - if they were any good we would see alot more of them .... mind you my wheelbarrow has had a flat for the last 4 years .hmmmmm?

    sw

    I can see that working on a barrow tbh, but not a bike and certainly not a wheelchair. :lol:
  • Nick6891
    Nick6891 Posts: 274
    Always Tyred wrote:
    Why aren't they making them for cars and motorbikes then? Comparatively large market they are missing out on. Plus, those vehicles have suspension so that property of the tyre is a bit less important.

    I dunno - I could be wrong - but this seems like a nice idea but with about as many drawbacks as those bicycle saddles without a nose. http://www.spongywonder.com/

    how do you think military vehicle tires can be shot at and not go flat, they have been around for along time but they are alot heavier and wont perform aswell as a normal tire
  • owenlars
    owenlars Posts: 719
    This is what Sheldon Brown said about 'airless tyres'

    Airless Tires
    Of all the inventions that came out of the bicycle industry, probably none is as important and useful as Dr. Dunlop's pneumatic tire.
    Airless tires have been obsolete for over a century, but crackpot "inventors" keep trying to bring them back. They are heavy, slow and give a harsh ride. They are also likely to cause wheel damage, due to their poor cushioning ability. A pneumatic tire uses all of the air in the whole tube as a shock absorber, while foam-type "airless" tires/tubes only use the air in the immediate area of impact.

    Airless tire schemes have also been used by con artists to gull unsuspecting investors. My advice is to avoid this long-obsolete system.

    The link is http://sheldonbrown.com/tires.html

    You can draw your own conclusions either from your experience or someone else's I guess
  • TheMightyHet
    TheMightyHet Posts: 36
    Nick6891 wrote:
    Always Tyred wrote:
    Why aren't they making them for cars and motorbikes then? Comparatively large market they are missing out on. Plus, those vehicles have suspension so that property of the tyre is a bit less important.

    I dunno - I could be wrong - but this seems like a nice idea but with about as many drawbacks as those bicycle saddles without a nose. http://www.spongywonder.com/

    how do you think military vehicle tires can be shot at and not go flat, they have been around for along time but they are alot heavier and wont perform aswell as a normal tire

    Their usually foam filed or like the run flat tyres you get on Mercs and BMW's these days.

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